Video: My day on a treadmill workstation

Jill Barker works at her treadmill workstation in her offices at McGill University, in Montreal on Wednesday March 20, 2013.

Photograph by: Allen McInnis
, The Gazette

MONTREAL — Never let it be said that I talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

Because that’s what I’ve been doing lately on a treadmill desk. Designed to get 9-to-5ers out of their chair, my goal is to cut my daily sitting time by at least half.

Too much sitting, say health researchers, is sabotaging our health. More than half of us spend more than six hours a day in a chair, which increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. So powerful are the negative effects of sitting, regular exercise isn’t enough to reverse its consequences.

Not everyone has the space to accommodate both a traditional desk and a treadmill in their office, but it is possible to set up a treadmill station for employees to use when they want to get out from behind the desk.

How feasible is it to walk and work at the same time? Here’s what I found out my first day on the ’mill.

7:00 a.m.: After debating whether to wear work or workout clothes, I pull on tights, a breathable top and low-profile athletic shoes. I plan to spend most of today on the treadmill and need to be comfortable.

9:15 a.m.: I set up my new desk with a laptop, a full mug of water, my iPad (I’m used to working with two screens) and cellphone and leave for a meeting.

11:00 a.m.: Meeting over, I show off my new desk to a colleague who gives it a quick whirl. We agree that working with a laptop means it’s impossible to position both the keyboard and screen at a comfortable height. Left with no choice, I adjust the desk height to accommodate the keyboard and resign myself to spending the day looking down at the screen.

11:16 a.m.: Stepped on for the first time. Clipped on the safety clip and ignored a colleague’s suggestion of placing crash mats against the back wall. Pumped up the speed to two miles per hour, but can’t control the mouse pointer. Lowered the speed to 1.6 m.p.h. Still difficult to work the mouse, but walking slower than this seems unnatural and awkward.

11:23 a.m.: Off goes the sweater.

11:29 a.m.: Successfully drank water from my mug, but am seriously considering the professional consequences of switching to a sippy cup. Taking notes by hand makes my normal chicken scratch almost illegible.

11:40 a.m.: Still struggling with the mouse, but am reluctant to reduce the speed of the treadmill. Much slower and I’ll be walking backward. Plus, I keep walking into the front end of the console, a sign I’m walking faster than 1.6 m.p.h.

11:45 a.m.: Gave up struggling with the mouse and switched to the touchpad on my laptop.

11:55 a.m.: Got off the treadmill without stopping it first. Getting back on wasn’t quite as elegant a manoeuvre.

12:17 p.m.: One hour completed.

Stats: 4,709 steps taken, 154 calories burned, 1.62 miles covered. Feeling good, but time to hit the washroom, refill my mug with water and grab a bite to eat.

12:18 p.m.: Whoa, I feel like a drunk getting off a tilt-a-whirl. It takes a few seconds to get used to walking on a surface that doesn’t move.

12:30 p.m.: Eating lunch at my desk is a totally new experience. Not sure soup was the best choice.

1:00 p.m.: Almost two hours on my feet and the hips and knees are starting to talk back. Not fatigue as much as too much repetition. I pick up the pace to 2.0 m.p.h. to see if the change in gait rejuvenates my legs. Typing and reading at this pace is easy, but using the touchpad to manipulate the mouse pointer demands all my concentration.

1:23 p.m.: Hopped off for a quick pee break and must have reset the controls, so there’s going to be a gap of just over an hour in my stats. I’m drinking more water and trekking to the washroom more often than normal. I’m also hungry.

2:07 p.m.: A student drops by to pick up something and barely raises an eyebrow seeing me at my new desk. Once he’s out the door, hear him say to my colleague in the next office: “She takes multi-tasking to a new level.”

2:20 p.m.: The dogs are barking. Can’t imagine trying to do this in my normal work shoes.

2:44 p.m.: Slowed the pace to 1.7 m.p.h. so I could do a phone interview, but had to lean on the desk to steady my hand. Without a free hand to dial back the speed I did the best I could, but worry that I won’t be able to read my notes.

3:46 p.m.: I’m comfortable doing most of my work tasks while walking, but I’m getting tired. By my calculations I have burned as many calories as I normally do during my lunch hour run, but it’s taken me four and a half hours to do it.

4:00 p.m.: Picked up the pace to 2 m.p.h. in an effort to break through my late-afternoon funk, then hopped off in search of food, more water and another pee break. Feel dizzy every time I hop off, but it only lasts a few seconds.

4:15 p.m.: Eating dried fruit and chocolate-covered cranberries at my desk energizes me to pick up the pace to 3 m.p.h. Now we’re talking. Problem is, the only thing I can do at this pace is read. So I start reading a document, drop my arms by my side and go for it.

4:25 p.m.: Well, that was short-lived. I was starting to heat up and the whole thing felt more like exercise than a new way to work. So I’m back down to 1.5 m.p.h. Suddenly it doesn’t feel so slow and it’s easy to work the mouse. More than five hours in and I think I’ve found my pace. No one said I was a quick learner.

4:50 p.m.: Going into the home stretch. Have to say I’m looking forward to hitting the couch tonight.

5:00 p.m.: Done for the day.

Final stats

Total time on treadmill: 5 hours 44 minutes

Total calories burned: 786

Total steps taken: 24,123

Postscript: I’m still using the treadmill desk, but have switched to a more manageable schedule of one hour on and one hour off. I wear regular work clothes, but have comfortable shoes at the ready if I need them. I have settled in at 1.5 m.p.h., a pace that allows me to walk and work comfortably.

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